This document provides a continental overview of renewable energy and electricity systems in sub-Saharan Africa, situating the energy transition within the region’s development realities. Rather than presenting a normative framework, it maps the structural features, constraints, and trends shaping Africa’s evolving electricity landscape.
Positioned within global climate governance processes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the labour-centred guidance of the International Labour Organization, and aligned with the equity principles embedded in the Paris Agreement, the overview examines how “just energy transition” agendas are being interpreted and operationalised across the continent.
Purpose of the overview
This report establishes an empirical baseline for the broader project A Just Energy Transition: Localisation, Decent Work, SMMEs and Sustainable Livelihoods. It collates and synthesises continent-wide data to:
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Characterise current electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption patterns
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Assess energy access gaps and infrastructure deficits
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Map renewable energy deployment trends and investment flows
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Examine the structure of solar and wind value chains
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Identify structural conditions affecting localisation and employment potential
It adopts a Global Production Networks (GPN) perspective to analyse how renewable energy technologies are produced, financed, and distributed, and where opportunities for domestic value retention may exist.
Key structural realities
The overview highlights several defining features of Africa’s electricity systems:
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Persistent energy poverty, with over 600 million people lacking access to electricity
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Low and uneven electricity consumption is constraining industrial development
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Underinvestment in transmission and distribution infrastructure
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High reliance on external finance, with Africa receiving a small share of global renewable energy investment
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Significant cross-country variation in capacity, policy ambition, and institutional capability
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Data and knowledge gaps that hinder effective planning and implementation
It also underscores that for many African countries, the central challenge is not transitioning away from entrenched fossil fuel systems, but rather building energy systems that support economic development while aligning with climate commitments.
Renewable energy and localisation potential
The overview recognises Africa’s abundant renewable resources—particularly solar and wind—but emphasises that localisation opportunities are:
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Uneven across countries
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Constrained by infrastructure, skills, and financing limitations
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Embedded within globally concentrated value chains, particularly in solar PV manufacturing
While countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Morocco have made notable progress, many others face structural barriers including limited grid capacity, sovereign debt pressures, and policy implementation gaps.
Contribution of the report
This continental overview does not prescribe solutions. Instead, it:
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Establishes the structural and empirical context for analysing localisation and employment opportunities
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Surfaces policy and implementation gaps
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Highlights the importance of integrating energy planning with industrial strategy
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Identifies areas where further qualitative and country-specific research is required
As a foundational document, it sets the stage for deeper investigation into how renewable energy expansion can contribute to decent work, SMME development, sustainable livelihoods, and gender-inclusive industrialisation across African contexts.